Moon, asteroids, and new rockets dominated 2023 space.
Milestones and Setbacks in 2023
Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship, the largest rocket ever, has successful and unsuccessful test flights. India outperformed Russia, which crashed, in the moon landing. NASA made news by retrieving asteroid samples.
Russia, India, and a Japanese business attempted moon landings. Winner India became the fourth nation to land on the moon. The U.S., China, and Japan sought lunar landings, with NASA introducing 2024 astronauts. Despite catastrophic failures, SpaceX’s Starship sought to improve NASA’s lunar mission. Other 2024 rockets include United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan, Blue Origin’s New Glenn, and Europe’s improved Ariane 6.
NASA’s “asteroid autumn” saw the Osiris-Rex mission bring Bennu rubble. The Psyche mission traveled six years to a metal-rich asteroid, whereas Lucy found a mini-moon with fused orbs during a flyby. Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic offered short space rides to tourists, boosting space tourism. SpaceX and Blue Origin also contributed to private space flight, with SpaceX making a second ISS journey.
READ ALSO: AP PHOTOS: Moon, asteroids and new rockets topped the world’s space news in 2023
Cosmic Marvels of 2023
In its first year, the James Webb Space Telescope captured stunning photographs of the Crab Nebula and the closest star-forming zone. It helped find the oldest black hole produced 470 million years after the Big Bang. Even 30 years after restoration, the Hubble Space Telescope produced magnificent photographs.
A “ring of fire” eclipse in October laid the environment for an April total solar eclipse in the Americas. This celestial phenomenon will cross Mexico, the Midwest, upstate New York, New England, and Canada.
Moon exploration, rocket breakthroughs, asteroid trips, space tourism, astronomical discoveries, and solar eclipses were 2023’s space highlights. These milestones lay the stage for a cosmic adventure.
READ ALSO: Moon, asteroids and new rockets topped the world’s space news in 2023